The Lotion In The Basket

[Funhouse Gear]

*Jump stops the van in front of the Zone 5 house, an abandoned two-story with a wide front porch and a generous plot of yard-turned-desert between it and the mostly burned down ruins on either side. Getting out, I draw my gun and start away from the van* I'm going to do a sweep of the area and make sure no one's set up shop since Moon and I were here.

[Arson Anthem]

*I get out quickly, following Gear* Wait up! I want to get an idea of the layout as well. *I pull my gun from its holster, grateful again that Gear got it back from the killjoy gang in Zone 4, and we start off around the right side of the house. The paint's peeling but most of the windows are intact, and I pause to pull a clump of weeds back from one of the half-size cellar windows. It's too small for anyone but a child to fit through, which is added security, though it would make an escape difficult if we were cornered down there.*

[Funhouse Gear]

*Bending down behind Arson, I whisper* It puts the lotion in the basket or it gets the hose again!

*The look she gives me doesn't do anything to make my grin fade* I told you about the well, right? Maybe there's a body down there! Maybe we'll find skin suits in a back room, Silence-of-the-Lambs style!

*Arson rolls her eyes and starts off along the side of the house again, but I can tell she's trying not to smile. Two minutes later we've returned to the front without finding any signs of vehicles, foot travel, or attempted entry.* All right, guys, let's get moved in!

[jumpstart]

*I wait in the van with PB, Max, and Red while we wait for the others to check the parameter. Mostly we just sit in uncomfortable silence, PB checking his gun, Red steeling glances at Max, and Max pretending not to notice. As soon as we're given the 'all-clear' I sigh and go to the back to help Red down. She's a bit shaky, but much better than she was yesterday. PB immediately grabs our bag and two bags of groceries, then heads inside, probably already planning our next meal*

[Funhouse Gear]

*I holster my gun and unhook my radio from my belt, standing in the shade of the porch and taking a moment to send a transmission to Electric before I help unload the van*

[Moonlight Revenge]

*I get out of the van and help with moving the supplies to the house* I guess it will work as a safehouse... *I help with finishing unloading the van and get inside the house looking at the ceiling and the house around*

[Arson Anthem]

*I smile at Moon as I cross the creaking wood floor with a pair of food bags and back through the kitchen door to push it open.* It'll be fine, don't worry. Fairly defensible, plenty of room, and an independent water source. It's not the most eclectic safehouse we've used, but it works. Besides, we probably won't be here longer than a couple weeks. Have to keep moving, you know.

[Max Griffiths]

*I consider bringing some of the supplies inside, but one look out at the killjoys milling around is enough to dissuade me. I mutter "I'll be back" just loud enough for Red to hear, get out of the van empty handed, and start down the street. I don't tell anyone that I'm just scouting the surrounding neighborhood, but I don't care if the killjoys think I'm leaving and I know Red will understand.*

[Funhouse Gear]

*I set my bags on the kitchen counter, "accidentally" brushing up against Arson when I turn around and return to the front hall* Just so no one goes trigger-happy, we've got a killjoy incoming. And she's going to need a bit of burn treatment, Jump, if you think you can manage.

*The trigger-happy comment was mostly aimed at Max, but I don't see him anywhere, either inside or by the van*

[Poison Shot]

*I look around* I guess I'll set up the radar blockers.
*I toss a few to sarah*
Help me put these up. Twist and pull the top to activate them. 40 feet from each corner of the safehouse.
It'll block any long distance radar that tries to find any activity. But still won't jam regular eye sights and radio transmissions if theyre on the right frequency.

[Electric Revenge]

*I stop my motorbike as a small town comes into view. Sliding my visor up on my helmet, I dig around into one of the side-saddles, pulling out my makeshift GPS, mentally double-checking the coordinates that Gear had sent to me earlier.*

Huh, guess I was closer than I thought.

*I look back towards the town, noticing someone walking around alone. What concerned me was the fact that he was wearing all white, much like a Draculoid. I couldn't see his face from this far out, but from his body language, he didn't look very friendly at all. I could feel my itchy trigger finger coming back, and at this point, the two swords strapped on the back of my bike looked like an even better option as well. I was up to my limits having to deal with surprise ambushes on my journey already.

Dracs never walk alone, but Gear wouldn't have sent me out to a trap, would he? I've had that happen before, more than once.*

[Max Griffiths]

*I stay in the shadows whenever possible as I move down the street, conscious of the fact that I don't have any water with me. I've left the residential area behind and the buildings I pass now are shops and businesses for the most part. The ones with any hint of having contained anything valuable have smashed windows, their doors hanging open and their floors dusty with sand blown in during wind storms. I turn a corner and go half a block, seeing the town limits up ahead. When I spot a figure out in the desert I stop moving, trying to identify it through the intervening heat haze. It's someone on a motorbike, and whether killjoy or BLI, I probably don't want an encounter. There's just the one, and if not for my association with the killjoys back at the safehouse, I'd be tempted to just wait and see what happens; it's not like I wouldn't be able to fend for myself. But the killjoys wouldn't appreciate it if I killed one of their friends, and if Red wants to stay with them I can't jeopardize that.*

*Taking my hand off my holster, I turn down an alley and start cutting through to a different block.*

[redhavoc]

*I watch Max leave, knowing he's just fulfilling the urge to patrol, and then let Jump help me out of the van, stumbling a little. He frowns when I let go of his arm, but doesn't protest, just stays beside me as I slowly make my way to the safehouse. I'm up on the porch by the time I hear the sound of a motobike. Everyone who is outside glances around, looking for the source. Arson explains to me that it's probably just the new killjoy coming into town. Then the sound cuts off and after a few minutes Poison and Sarah go back to putting up their strange radio blockers, PB back to taking in the supplies. Jump tries to get me to go inside, but I refuse, curious about this new killjoy*

[Electric Revenge]

*I watch as the person stops in its tracks. It looks at me for a moment, no doubt thinking about what to do, before it turns and walks down a shadowy alleyway away from me. I let out the breath I was unconsciously holding onto. But I'm still not sure of what I've come across. I turn around and grab my holster and my gun, strapping it to my belt.

My engine cuts off.*

What the...?

*I try to restart my bike, but the engine doesn't turn over. I check all my gauges, only to see that I'm out I gas. I should have figured that with my luck this would happen. Sighing, I get up off my bike, strap my two katana swords to my opposite hip and start walking the bike into town.*

[petroleumblaster]

*I get most of the supplies in and then come back out, curious as to what people would want for dinner. Don't get me wrong, I have some ideas of my own, but I try to not dictate the menu too much. I find Jump looking exasperated and hovering around Red and sit down with them. I haven't talked to Red much and decide to give it a try, but as soon as I start to speak she starts to scoot away*

*I look at Jump, wondering what I did wrong, but he just gives me the 'I told you this already so you should know but I'll explain later anyway' look. Damn, I know my brother well*